If I asked you what NHL team you would consider to be a bunch of big bullies, what would you likely say?
The Philadelphia Flyers, who regularly get suspensions for vicious hits? The Anaheim Ducks, who won a Stanley Cup on the backs of thugs like Brad May? The Calgary Flames, a Mike Keenan team?
Well, how about the Phoenix Coyotes, who, as noted by Rob Webb of The Bleacher Report, have gone to great lengths this off-season to get bigger, meaner, and tougher.
First [the Coyotes] traded for Olli Jokinen, who is a great player that plays with a physical edge and will stick up for his teammates when needed.
Then they brought in Kurt Sauer. A big, hard hitting defenseman who also has a lot of skill.
Then they brought in the big tough guys, two of them actually: Brian McGrattan and Todd Fedoruk.
I'm not surprised at this turn of events, given the way Gretzky has always loved his tough guy buddies (McSorely, Semenko, Beukeboom).
The Phoenix Coyotes ranked seventh with 1193 penalty minutes last season, suggesting the Coyotes are a physical team. The funny thing is that Daniel Carcillo was responsible for 324 of those minutes, and only one other player, Nick Boynton, had more than 100. The rest of the Coyotes appeared to be fairly tame.
What should we expect from the Coyotes next season?
